Clothespin



Sept. 18, 1928. 1,684,721

A. 'r. woob CLOTHE S P IN Original Filed se i. 11, 1925 Paterjted Sept. 18, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW T. WOOD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

CLOTHESIIN.

Application filed September 11, 1926, Serial No. 134,857. Renewed August 3, 1828.

accuracy. The clothespin as thus construct-- ed is durable, strong and well braced for the.

performance of its functions. The invention consists in certain combinations and arrangements between the two wooden jaws and the resilient clamping yoke as will be hereinafter more fully pointed out and claimed.

In the accompan ing drawings, I have il lustrated one comp ete example of the physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined andv arranged according to the best mode I have so-far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention, and a modification thereof.

Figure l is a view showing a complete clothespin constructed according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the clothespin;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View at line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. t is a transverse sectional view at line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view partly in section showing the relation of the U-shaped yoke to the two jaws of the pin.

' Fig. 6 is an edge view of a clothespin with a crimped wire yoke frictionally. held between the walls of the grooved jaws.

Fig. 7 is a View of the crimped-wire yoke.

In carrying out In invention I utilize the two jaws 1 and 2 pre erably made from wood, and fashioned in quantities as exact duplicates. Thetwo jaws are each provided with a longitudinal groove 3 located at the exterior edge of the jaw, and it. will be apparent that in assembling the parts the jaws are interchangeable and because of the fact that'they are produced as exact duplicates the operations necessary in their manufacture are reduced to a minimum.

These jaws are retained by means of a U- shaped yoke 4 fashioned of metal and provided with the respective bars 5 and 6. The ends of the bars 5 and 6 are turned in at 7 and adapted to impinge against the face of the slot 3 of each of the jaws. The yoke is forced down over the upper ends of the two jaws, and as seen in Fig. 5 the clothespin has 'a tapered formation with respect to the 'to hold them together. The metal of the yoke is of course resilient and the jaws may be spread apart without dislocating the yoke, as it will be apparent that. the more the jaws are spread, the greater will be the frictional engagement of the ends 7 with the jaws.

At the upper end-of the pin, the jaws are provided with fiat faces 9, and near the lower end of the pin the jaws are provided with adjoining curved faces 10 which are normally in engagement. These curves 10 are convex-in shape, and they terminate in curved 'faces 11 to form a flaring notch at thedower end of the pin whereby the clothes may be clasped by the jaws of the pin. Between the contacting faces 9, 9 and 10, 10 the inner adjoining edges of the jaws are provided with concave faces 12 and these form a slot for the suspending rope, cable, or cord, or clothes line upon which the clothespin is supported in the usual manner.

The adjoining faces of the jaws involving the curves and. the flat edges, as well as the grooved outer edges of the jaws may be fashioned with facility by the useof suitable machines, and the yoke is bent to form by means of other suitable machines, after which the three elements forming the clothespinare as sembled in suitable manner and ready for market.

In Figs. 6 and 7 the bars 5 and 6 of the wire yoke are crimped in order that they may be made to straddle and are forced or pressed over the j aws of the pin. The crimped bars which are of resilient metal, are thus made to frictionally engage the opposite side walls of the grooves 3, 3 to retain the yoke in posi-' in its outer ed and forming a tapering head of a U-shaped yoke astride the jaws and havfor-the pin, 0 a resilient U-shaped yoke with ing resilient cnmped bars frictionall engagbars having inturned ends impinging ing the side walls of said grooved e ges'sald against the inner walls of the grooves of the bars being out of frictional contact with the 5 1n, and leaving the bars free of the inner inner walls of the grooves except at their 15 aces of the grooves, and said yoke also fricends and with the opposite grooved ends of tionall engaging the opposite grooved ends the jaws. of sai jaws. In testimony whereof I have afiixed my 2. The combination with a pair of du lisignature. 10 cats jaws each having an outer grooved e ge, I ANDREW T. WOOD. 

